APP REWIND: Camera+ Thrives Despite Apple's Previous Rejection

In June 2010, iOS customers got their first look at the Camera+ app by tap tap tap. At the time, the app was priced at $2.99 and offered one significant feature that set it apart from other photo-taking apps: the ability to use the iPhone’s volume control to snap pictures.

So how is Camera+ doing nearly 2 ½ years after its launch? Pretty good, in fact.

Soon after Camera+ was released, the folks at Apple pulled it from the App Store because of its “Easter egg” volume control feature, which they said violated the company’s iPhone Developer Program License Agreement. In December 2010, however, the app was back yet faced an uncertain feature.

At the time, I suggested that Camera+ might not get much traction, mainly due to Instagram, a little app you might have heard of that arrived that October. Facebook purchased Instagram earlier this year for $1 billion.

Despite the competition, the $0.99 Camera+ app survived and only got better. In fact, the app remains so popular that Time magazine called it one of the best iPhone apps of 2011. Soon after Facebook purchased Instagram, we included Camera+ in our list of alternatives.

Since the beginning, the app’s best feature remains its Clarity filter, which now includes 16 different scene modes, including sunset, portrait, and concert. To date, the app has been downloaded over 8 million times. Since then, tap tap tap has expanded their App Store offerings. Then now offer seven apps for iOS, including The Heist and Serenity.